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USCCB president says Catholics are not free to 'pick and choose' which parts of Catholic teaching they favor, while discarding others

Rome Newsroom, Jul 24, 2025 / 12:05 pm (CNA).

The Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana put a spotlight on a new design collection inspired by Catholic liturgical garb in a show on the Sant’Angelo Bridge in Rome last week, prompting a discussion about whether it is appropriate to use Catholic imagery for secular purposes.

The luxury brand called the fashion show, part of three days of showcases in the Eternal City, “an homage to clerical tailoring” with creations inspired by priests’ vestments and other ecclesiastical clothing, including “capes, trains, chasubles, dalmatics, soles, bodices, and bibs.”

Images from the July 15 catwalk depict designs with clear ties to traditional Catholic liturgical clothing, including white, lace shirts similar to a priest’s chasuble or the surplice worn by altar servers. While many of the 106 designs were all white or all black, some feature green, red, and purple — colors used by the Church to denote different liturgical seasons.

Dolce & Gabbana declined to give CNA permission to use images from the event, but the designs can be viewed at its website or on YouTube.

Crosses were heavily featured in the collection, and some models wore or carried what appeared to be Catholic objects such as rosaries, thuribles, and metal incense burners used at Mass and other liturgical celebrations.

The runway, lined with movie extras dressed as cardinals, also showcased less clerical- or papal-looking outfits, with white bodices made to look like marble sculptures of St. Peter and St. Paul, inspired by religious art.

“Every creation strikes a perfect balance between solemnity, devotion, discipline, and aesthetic as well as iconographic codes,” according to information from the fashion brand.

Theology student Nicola Camporiondo was not a fan of the fashion show, which he commented on in an Instagram story for his 12,800 followers.

The 19-year-old from Vicenza in northern Italy told CNA he thought Dolce & Gabbana’s use of ecclesiastical style was a “usurpation” of a spiritual and liturgical heritage for the purpose of entertainment and “a mere commodification of the sacred.”

“After the sacred has always been a monopoly of the religious, now fashion agencies are using it for their own worldly and profane purposes,” he said.

Camporiondo, who also shares Catholic content on TikTok, where he has 160,000 followers, said he hopes the show can prompt a reflection for the Church about how people still find traditional Catholic aesthetics fascinating, even while the number of practicing Catholics in countries such as Italy declines.

For Father Alberto Ravagnani, a 31-year-old priest of the Archdiocese of Milan, the Dolce & Gabbana show also prompted a reflection on the Church’s tradition of beautiful art and vestments, but he told CNA he was “very much in favor, I really liked it, because I actually believe it’s a way they’ve given value to tradition.”

The “Alta Sartoria” show took place on the pedestrian-only Sant’Angelo Bridge, found directly in front of Castel Sant’Angelo, an ancient mausoleum later used as a papal fortress. The monument is connected to the Vatican by a 2,600-foot-long raised corridor. Part of the Dolce & Gabbana show took place with St. Peter’s Basilica in the distant background.

The approximately 40-minute, invitation-only fashion show opened with what appeared to be an enactment of a religious procession, including men dressed like altar boys and carrying candles, incense, and small canopies often used for Eucharistic processions. 

While Ravagnani had not seen footage of that part of the event, he thought if a fashion house could help restore “luster, value, meaning, and allure” to a religious practice in decline — even if only for a moment and in a secular context — it might not be a bad thing.

The young priest, who is one of the most followed Catholic “influencers” in Italy, also asked his 250,000 followers on Instagram to share their thoughts about the Catholic-inspired Dolce & Gabbana show.

He said the vast majority of those who responded were against it. Some considered it an outrage to tradition or even blasphemous, while others associated it “with ostentation and wealth” rather than an image of the Church as poor, humble, and simple — but he disagreed.

“Indeed, when it is said that the Church today should be simple and humble, this is true, but it doesn’t mean it should be sloppy or ugly,” he said. “God gave us art, God gave us hands, God gave us intelligence and the ability to create things. And so this ability of men to create beautiful things is a way to collaborate in God’s work.”

Father Alberto Rocca, a priest of Milan who has collaborated with Dolce & Gabbana and was in attendance at the July 15 show in Rome, told CNA the designers’ use of Catholic symbols “pays homage to [the Catholic] tradition.”

“It would be very reductive to see it only as fashion and not as art,” he added, highlighting the craftsmanship of the brand’s clothing as a skill that has otherwise been all but lost from Italian culture.

As director of the Ambrosian Pinacoteca, a Milan art gallery, Rocca was an adviser for a Dolce & Gabbana exhibit with clothing pieces inspired by some of the museum’s paintings. He is also a member of an expert committee for the Venerable Ambrosian Library, which preserves cultural and religious patrimony.

The priest said designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana “have always used certain [religious symbols] because they are part of the Italian context and they are Catholics.”

Dolce & Gabbana declined a request from CNA to comment.

In addition to the show on Sant’Angelo Bridge, the three-day Roma 2025 haute couture event also planned to debut a Dolce & Gabbana jewelry collection in a July 13 show at Villa Adriana, a park at the site of a classical building complex in Tivoli, 18 miles east of downtown Rome, before being rained out.

On July 14, the Roman Forum, with extras dressed as Roman soldiers, was the venue for the unveiling of styles inspired by mythology, Ancient Rome, and Italian 1950s cinema.

The fashion event took place during the run of a Dolce & Gabbana art exhibition, “From the Heart to the Hands,” at the Palazzo Esposizioni in Rome, May 14 to Aug. 13.

The exhibit of one-of-a-kind creations, first mounted in Milan and Paris, features some of the brand’s most admired pieces from designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, who founded the fashion house in 1985.

Bangalore, India, Jul 24, 2025 / 11:35 am (CNA).

Christians in India recently urged the Vatican to respond forcefully to rising violence in the country amid a state visit by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s secretary for relations with states.

The Vatican said the prelate was visiting the country from July 13–19 to “strengthen bonds of friendship and collaboration.” Besides meeting church officials, Gallagher had an official meeting with Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s foreign minister, on July 17 in New Delhi.

Describing the meeting as a “good conversation,” Jaishankar said in a post on X that the leaders discussed “the importance of faith and the need for dialogue and diplomacy to address conflicts.”

On the same day, a memorandum drafted by the United Christian Forum was presented to Gallagher, one that documented a steady rise in anti-Christian violence under the regime of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has headed the pro-Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for 11 years.

The Christian group appealed for “urgent intervention” by the Vatican to the rising incidents of violence and harassment targeting Christians across the country. 

The appeal said that 834 cases of violence and hostility against Christians were reported in India in 2024, up from 734 in 2023 and from 127 in 2014, when Modi took office. 

Though the Vatican envoy visited the Jesuit Vidyajyoti seminary in New Delhi, saying Mass and interacting with the theology students on matters of formation, dialogue, and other concerns, principal Father Rajkumar Joseph declined to provide details of the meetings, telling CNA that it was a “private visit.”

“Perhaps the all-round silence suits the government,” vocal lay Catholic leader John Dayal, based in New Delhi, told CNA on July 22.

Jesuit Father Cedric Prakash expressed disappointment over what he called the “Vatican tokenism,” arguing that atrocities against Christians should have been brought up in the discussion with the government.

The United Christian Forum memorandum cites allegations of “fraudulent conversion” as a primary reason for the rising violence against Christians, including the detention of hundreds.

The highest number of incidents in 2024, the group said, was reported from northern Uttar Pradesh (209), followed by Chhattisgarh (165) — both states ruled by the Hindu nationalist BJP. 

Odisha state, which has been under BJP rule for a year, has also recently seen violence against Christians.

Dead bodies of Christians have been dug up for “reconversion ceremonies” and Christians have been prevented from burying their dead in tribal areas of Odisha. Meanwhile, two senior priests in the Sambalpur Diocese — including one in his 90s — were recently brutally attacked, tied up, and threatened with death if they returned for missionary work there.

Following a June 21 attack that injured 31 Christians of Kotamateru village in the Malkangiri district, with dozens of Christians also expelled from the village, the state witnessed a series of protests by Christians urging the government to act against the Hindu fundamentalists.

Vatican City, Jul 24, 2025 / 11:05 am (CNA).

Thousands of young people are heading to the Eternal City next week for the Jubilee of Youth, where they will have the opportunity to pray with the incorrupt body of Pier Giorgio Frassati and a first-class relic of Carlo Acutis’ heart.  

From July 28 to Aug. 3, Rome will be buzzing with musical performances, prayer vigils, and special events for young pilgrims from across the globe. One of the highlights will be the opportunity to venerate the relics of these two holy young men who are set to be canonized together by Pope Leo XIV in September.

The veneration of relics — physical objects associated with saints or Christ himself — has been part of Christian practice since the earliest days of Christianity, during the Apostolic age. First-class relics, such as bones or pieces of a saint’s body, are venerated as a tangible link to the saints who intercede from heaven.

Frassati festivities 

Frassati’s incorrupt body will be available for public veneration beginning July 26 at the Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, located near the Pantheon. His tomb will be open to visitors daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. through the morning of Aug. 4.

Youth volunteers from the JP2 Project, a U.S.-based Catholic nonprofit, will be on hand to accompany pilgrims in prayer at the basilica, where several Masses are scheduled. Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney will celebrate Mass there at 11 a.m. on Aug. 4.

A separate event, “Night of Adoration with Pier Giorgio Frassati,” will take place from 8:30 to 10 p.m. on July 31 and Aug. 1 at the Church of Piazza Farnese.

Organized by the JP2 Project, the evening adoration aims to foster reflection on Frassati’s spiritual legacy. His remains will be returned to his hometown of Turin, Italy, on Aug. 5.

The Carlo Acutis Center 

A few blocks away, the Church of San Marcello al Corso will host the “Blessed Carlo Acutis Center.” Acutis, a 15-year-old computer coder who died of cancer in 2006, is known for his devotion to the Eucharist and his efforts to catalog Eucharistic miracles. 

A first-class relic of Acutis’ heart will be available for veneration at the church, where visitors may also submit prayer intentions to be brought to his tomb in Assisi. The center opens at 10 a.m. on July 29 and closes at 9:30 p.m. on July 31. Daily Eucharistic adoration with the relic is scheduled from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

Evening events at the church on July 30 and 31 will include music, testimonies, and prayer. On July 29 at 11 a.m., young artist Johnny Vrba will present his 1,000-piece mosaic portrait of Acutis. An exhibit on Eucharistic miracles created by Acutis before his death will also be on display.

In addition to Acutis and Frassati, the jubilee will highlight other young people recognized for their sanctity.

On July 30, Jesus Youth International will host the Blessed Ivan Merz Center at the Basilica of Sant’Andrea della Valle, featuring relic veneration, confession, youth talks, and an evening of Eucharistic adoration.

Merz, a Croatian intellectual and former soldier who promoted Catholic youth movements, died in 1928 at the age of 31. Also on July 30, the Basilica di San Crisogono in Trastevere will host a talk at 11:20 a.m. on Merz’s life.

At the Centro San Lorenzo, a youth center near St. Peter’s Basilica, pilgrims can learn about the Pier Giorgio Homeless Ministry and attend a gathering with the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother, the religious community of Sister Clare Crockett — a young Irish nun whose cause for canonization is underway.

That event, featuring prayer, adoration, and fellowship, will take place Wednesday afternoon, July 30.

The jubilee will also feature a self-guided “Young Saints Walk,” encouraging pilgrims to visit churches throughout Rome that house the relics of young saints.

Stops include St. Agnes, martyred at age 12; St. Aloysius Gonzaga, who died while caring for plague victims at 23; as well as St. Philip Neri and St. John Paul II, both remembered for their commitment to youth. The full walking route is available through the EWTN Travel app.

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Lima Newsroom, Jul 24, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

On the evening of July 21, the Peruvian government, led by President Dina Boluarte, presented “Leo’s Route” simultaneously from four regions in Peru. The project seeks to show the world 39 places related to Pope Leo XIV’s life in the country.

The presentation of the project, also known as “Paths of Pope Leo XIV,” took place in the regions of Lambayeque — where Robert Prevost, the current pope, was bishop of Chiclayo — in La Libertad, Piura, and Callao, where he served as apostolic administrator.

In Lambayeque — where Boluarte and the current bishop of Chiclayo, Edinson Farfán, were present — the president stated that “we have here a route that not only runs through streets or churches but also through the memory, faith, and hope of a people who never stopped dreaming and who today can proudly say that we have a Peruvian pope.”

Although Prevost was born in the United States, he became a naturalized Peruvian citizen in 2015, when he was appointed bishop of his “beloved diocese of Chiclayo,” as he said in his first words to the world, speaking in Spanish, after being elected pope. He also recently updated his information to renew his DNI, the national identity document for Peruvians.

A few days ago, the minister of foreign trade and tourism, Desilú León, emphasized that “this is not just a religious route; it is an integrative project that combines together culture, infrastructure, services, faith, and identity. It is also a commitment to local development through tourism.”

In Lambayeque, the region where the city of Chiclayo is located, 22 tourist points of interest have been identified, organized into four circuits that combine religious, cultural, and natural heritage, such as St. Mary’s Cathedral, the Cross of Motupe, the Pómac Forest, and Pimentel Beach.

In Piura, there will be eight destinations, including St. Joseph the Worker Parish and the Holy Family Cathedral, both in Chulucanas, and the town of La Encantada.

In Callao, there are four destinations: the “Mother Church,” St. Rose Parish, the diocesan chancery, and the Carmen de la Legua district; while in La Libertad, there are five destinations, including St. Thomas of Villanova Convent and the Sts. Charles and Marcellus Major Seminary in Trujillo, where Pope Leo XIV was a professor.

Leo XIV arrived as a priest in Chulucanas in the Piura region of Peru in 1985. He returned to the United States and then came back to Trujillo in the La Libertad district, where he stayed for 11 years. In 2014, he returned first as apostolic administrator and then as bishop of Chiclayo; and years later, he also served as apostolic administrator of Callao.

For the first stage of this route, which has involved coordination with four regions and 20 municipalities, the government has allocated a total of 540 million soles (approximately $151 million).

“In a world with more than 7 billion inhabitants, there is only one pope, and that pope chose by his own decision to become Peruvian. Everything we do to showcase his work will always fall short of his greatness,” the minister stated.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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